Surgeon&#39;s needle-holder.



No. 838,883. PATENTED DEC. 11, 1906.

' H. H. CLARK;

SURGEONS NEEDLE HOLDER. APPLIOATION FILED FEB. 23, 1906.

UNITED STATES rarnnr orrron SURGEONS NEEDLE-HOLDER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed February 23, 1906. Serial No. 302, L56.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HULBURT HENRY CLARK, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Santa Cruz, in the county of Santa Cruz and State of California, have invented a new and Improved Surgeons Needle-Holder, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to surgical instruments; and the object of the invention is to produce a device of simple construction which will facilitate the holding and manipulating of a surgeons needle.

The invention consists in the construction and combination of parts to be more fully de scribed hereinafter, and particularly set forth in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompany-. ing drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the fig ures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device, representing the same as holding a needle. Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of the device and needle. Fig.3 is an elevation of one of the parts of the device and representing a portion of the same in longitudinal section. Fig. 4 is a side view of a cooperating main member of the device. Fig. 5 is a partly-sectional. plan view taken substantially on the line 5 5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a rear end view of the device, showing its handle members locked together. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation showing the inner face of one of the handles of the device and illustrating the manner of attaching a spring thereto, and Fig. 8 is a cross-section through the needle and illustrating the manner of guiding the thread to the eye thereof.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 represents the device, which preferably has substantially the form of a pair of forceps, presenting handles 2 and 3, pivotally connected at 4 and having extensions 5, which are adapted to clamp together, so as to form jaws 6, adapted to receive the needle. At these jaws 6 the meeting-line of the extensions 5 is preferably offset, so as to form a shoulder 7, against which the shank 8 of the needle 9 abuts, as will be readily understood.

It should be understood that by forcing the handles 2 and 3 together the jaws 6 close together, so as to clasp the butt of the needle firmly. Q

In order to enable the needle to be held in any desired position, I provide the faces of i the jaws beyond the shoulder 7 with transverse grooves ].0, disposed at different angles, which register, as will be readily understood, so as to accomplish the purpose stated.

The handle 2 at its point of connection to the opposite handle 3 is enlarged, so as to form a hub 11, which hub is recessed, producing an internal chamber or barrel 12. This barrel is of circular form, as shown, and provided with a centrally-disposed stud 1.3, which projects upwardly within the same, as indicated. At a suitable point through the wall of the barrel, as indicated in Fig. 5, an opening 14 is formed, which extends in the direction of the aws 6 thereon and communicates with. a groove 15, which is formed in the inner face of the corresponding exten-' sion 5. I/Vithin the barrel 1.2 I provide a bobbin 16, upon which is wound a quantity of surgeons thread 17. The opposite handle 3 is also formed with a hub 18, and this hub is bored out, so as toseat over the barrel 12 in such a way as to constitute a cap or closure for the barrel, as indicated. The hubs 11 and 18 are provided with segmental tongues 19, which project laterally and are received in corresponding grooves 20 formed in the opposite member, from which arrangement it should be understood that the handles 2 and 3 may be set together at a wide angle and rotated upon the axis of the barrel 12 until they interlock. In the outer extremity of the extension 5, which has the groove 15, an opening 21 is formed, which communicates with the groove and emerges upon the extremity of the forceps, as indicated most clearly in Fig. 3. The needle 9 preferably has the curved form illustrated in Fig. 1. Upon its outer or convexly-curved side I provide a longitudinal guide-groove 22, which receives the thread 17, leading the same toward the eye 23 of the needle. It should be understood that the thread 17 passes through the opening 4 and along the groove 15, thence down through the opening 21 and along the groove 22 on the back of the needle, whence it passes through the eye, where it hangs in a loose end. The handles 2 and 3 are normally held slightly apart, so as to hold the jaws open, by means of the spring 241, which is secured at 25 on the inner face of the handle 2, the outer extremity of the said opening being provided with a slot 26, in which is received a stud 27 on the inner face of the handle 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the IIO end of the spring cannot become disoon-j nected from the handle 3. For this reason the spring will operate to force the handles a slight distance apart and maintain them so.

In order to facilitate the convenient looking of the j aw 6 when the handles 2 and 3 are pressed together, I provide the rear extremities of the-said handles withspurs 28 and 29., which roject toward each other, :as shown partic arly in Figs. 1 and 26.. The :spur :28 is provided with a pair of inclined teeth 30, presenting abrupt. rear zfiaces .31 on the side remote trom the spur :29. The spnr :29, .on the other hand, is provided with a mib 32, which is adapted to engage with the teeth 30.. The spurs .28 and 2&9 aline, so that when the parts are forced together the nib 32 will en gage the foremost tooth and lock the parts together. i

If desired to producea firmerzc'losing of the jaws, the handles 2 and '3 wiil be pressed closely together, whereupon the nib 32 be advanced to the next tooth. In this way the jaws 6 will adapt themselves to needles which have different thicknesses v at their shank-s. When it is desired to throw the jaws open, it is only necessary to press the handles together until the nib 32 passes :beyond the second or last tooth, whereupon it disconnects itself and the handles fly apart, flue to the pressure of the spring upon its reease.

Having thus described my invention, I

tion of the needle 'throughwhich said thread may pass, and means for mounting a ibo'bhin upon said members at a point removed said jaws.

2. A needle-holder comprising a pair of members pivoted together and presenting jaws adapted to hold a needle, said members having a barrel formed at the pivotal connec'tion thereb'etween, adapted to meceive a quantity of thread, and means for grinding said thread to .a point near said jaw.

A needle-holder :consisting of a pair of pivoted members having extensions adapted to meet :and constituting jaws, one :of said extensions having a groove in the ta'ce thereof, said members forming a ibarre'l adapted to receive a quantity of thread and communicating withsaid groove, one of said extensions having an opening adjacent to said jaws to pass the thread through from said groove.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. v

HULBURT HENRY CLARK.

Witnesses:

P. NETHERTON, Tnnononn G. CLARK. 

